IMPD detectives and crime scene investigators document the scene after a 16-year-old boy was shot and killed at the Hawthorne Place Apartment at 5244 E 32nd Street.

I am a native New Yorker and lived in Manhattan for more than 30 years. I moved to Carmel full time about 16 months ago. My reasons for moving are simple; I like the people in the Midwest and specifically in metropolitan Indianapolis and the surrounding areas. The cost of living is reasonable and the pace less frenetic. Though it may take a bit of searching, I can find nearly everything New York City has to offer right here.

Crime stands out as a big problem here. I sadly read news reports every day of violence in the city. There is more crime and violence here than in New York! I had rarely heard of a loss of a police officer, gang violence, and a general feeling of the lack of interest in the poorer classes until I moved here.

I've thought long and hard in an attempt to analyze why such nice people permit these behaviors to continue. I have some thoughts on some possible explanations.

Where are the public social programs for the poor? In Carmel High School, there are approximately 300 extra-curricular activities for our youth. In Indianapolis, there are a scant few. What can we expect our youth to do if there is no place for them to go after school or on the weekends? It is not surprising that given this vacuum, we see violence break out as various groups clash. The Ten Point Coalition is a non-governmental group that does a wonderful job, but let's face it, they are simply overwhelmed by the magnitude of the poverty we see in Indy. In New York, there are a number of such groups (which, importantly, are not all faith-based), but they are but a small piece of a much larger response.

The municipal and state governments are responsible for the bulk of educational and social services offered to the poor in New York. Where are all the programs here? Our political leaders, rather than addressing these problems head-on, turn to the coalition for solutions. How is this working? Clearly, not very well, or we would not be saddened to hear of another police officer shot in the line of duty or a young black man killed by another in senseless violence.

The residents of Indiana need to see that the current situation is effectively class warfare. This is not a black vs. white issue; rather, it is have vs. have-not . While, I may be somewhat over-simplifying, it is clear from what I have experienced in New York that for every dollar spent on public social programs, many more dollars are saved in the cost of crime prevention, incarceration and the like. I am baffled by the seeming inability for the public in Indiana to see this.

As I said earlier, I like the people here. They care about their neighbors and their communities and want to see Indy move in a positive direction. For some reason, there is a break in the thought processes as to how to accomplish this. More police is surely not the only (or the best) answer. More guns are not the answer. From a purely selfish point, it makes sense to stop using a stick as the only solution. We must use more constructive, positive measures to reduce poverty, poor education and dilapidated housing. In the long run, these would be the best investments in our city. We need to take to heart the lessons learned in other, more successful cities.

Charles H. Strom

Carmel

ADVERTISEMENT

ADVERTISEMENT

ADVERTISEMENT

Email this article

Indy needs to do more to help poor, undereducated

I am a native New Yorker and lived in Manhattan for more than 30 years. I moved to Carmel full time about 16 months ago.